From Aline Pinxteren, Publisher & Interim Editor-in-Chief
As far back as I can remember, I haven’t gone a day without reading—several books a week, from all over and in all genres. Imagine my dilemma when our book-publishing colleagues at Bayard Canada suggested that we pose with our favourite books for World Book and Copyright Day. If This Is a Man, by Primo Levi, came to mind right away, but in the end, I chose The Neverending Story, by Michael Ende, a fantasy novel for young readers in which a misfit teen finds himself literally drawn into an old magic manuscript that takes him on all kinds of fantastic adventures on the back of a massive flying dragon.
Every book is like that—it opens a world to us, with emotions to experience, characters to meet, and journeys that sweep us along. Books are our everyday companions, oases of escape, places where we can dream at every stage of our lives. They allow us to travel in time so we can stroll through New York’s Gilded Age in The House of Mirth, spend time in the Château d’If with The Count of Monte Cristo, experience the aftermath of the First World War with Three Day Road, or visit Prince Edward Island in the late 19th century with Anne of Green Gables. They make us want to visit other lands—Elena Ferrante’s Naples, Haruki Murakami’s Japan, or the Alaska of Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild.
Books can touch our hearts—and render us unable to put them down at a reasonable hour before bed! Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache has given me many sleepless nights, as have the heroes of Patricia Cornwell, Harlan Coben, and Stieg Larsson. Are you able to resist the urge to read a thriller from cover to cover in one sitting? Our team challenges you to test your willpower with their favourite thrillers (page 16).
Summer is here, with its long hours of lounging in the garden, at the park, or at the cottage. What novels have transported you, touched you, resonated with you? Why not recommend them to other readers to give them some ideas for summer reading? Simply send the name of the book you want to suggest and why to editor@goodtimes.ca. We’ll share all your recommendations on our Facebook page so we can embark on new journeys together!
Photo by Asal Lotfi on Unsplash
